Identifier

Author

Degree

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

Department

Music

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The late nineteenth century was a time of great political, economic, and social change in the state of Arkansas. The population of Little Rock, the state capital, nearly tripled in the last thirty years of the century. As more people settled in Little Rock, the demand for entertainment grew. Poor transportation was an initial obstacle; but as railroads gradually linked Little Rock to larger cities, traveling professional theatrical troupes began to include Little Rock on their itineraries. The purpose of this project is to document the history of professional operatic entertainment in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1870—when the first professional opera troupe visited the city—until the end of the century. The first chapter is a brief historical sketch of the state of Arkansas, the city of Little Rock, and the early professional theatrical performances in Little Rock. Chapters two through four present a chronology of Little Rock’s operatic stage from February 1870 through December 1899. These chapters record the performers that visited the city, the operas they presented, and the reception that was tendered them by Little Rock theatre-goers.